BACKGROUND: Michter’s has long promoted itself as the whiskey that George Washington purchased for his troops during the war with Britain, and it once used the advertising slogan, “The whiskey that warmed the Revolution.” Even the bottles lining liquor store shelves today state that Michter’s dates back to 1753 and continues to adhere to its strict “pre-Revoluationary War” quality standards. But the company’s claims are simply Barnum-like hyperbole that pervades most aspects of contemporary bourbon marketing. The fact of the matter is that the modern-day Michter’s has existed only since the 1990s and, until recently, did not make its own bourbon. In fact, the expression I sampled consisted of sourced bourbon that was merely bottled by Michter’s. Even the name Michter’s comes from a lapsed trademark that was originally created in the 1950s when Brown-Forman executive Lou Forman combined the names of his sons, Michael and Peter. Forman’s distillery operated in Schafferstown, Pennsylvania, and it was located on the site where farmer Johann Shrenk operated a still in the 1750s and might have once possibly, maybe, and allegedly sold some whiskey to Washington’s army, although no corroborating evidence exists in any form. Thus, by simply purchasing a lapsed trademark to a defunct brand that had the slimmest connection to an 18th Century pot still owner, Michter’s has the cojones to claim lineage with our nation’s founding general and first president. The fact that today’s company is not even located in the same state as its supposed predecessor heightens the cheekiness. As if the backstory was not outrageous enough, in 2013, Michter’s announced it was offering an “ultra-premium” whiskey called Celebration Sour Mash that retailed for $4,000 a bottle, which was the highest price ever charged for an American whiskey up to that time. The company received reams of print coverage and extensive electronic media attention for an outrageously-priced whiskey that Michter’s did not even produce but, rather, sourced.. The company eventually opened its own distillery in Shively, Kentucky in 2015 - though most of its offerings remain sourced today - and it operates a visitors center on Louisville’s Whiskey Row that allows bourbon aficionados to fill and affix labels to bottles they purchase. The bottle that I sampled is from Batch No. 19L2269…whatever the heck that means. NOSE: The nose is dominated by corn and a strong banana scent that is reminiscent of Brown-Forman, which happens to be the supplier for Michter’s. Caramel is omnipresent, as well. It is a decidedly sweet nose. PALATE: Like the nose, there is a strong banana presence on the palate along with a sweet corn flavor that one often gets from creamed corn. Some toffee lingers in the background along with some rye spice that seems to be the opening act for the finish. FINISH: While most bourbons finish in the back of the throat, this one is quite front-forward. It is also quite spicy with strong black pepper notes. Like the nose and palate, the finish offers absolutely no evidence of oak. FINAL ASSESSMENT: Many reviewers have said the Michter’s US-1 Small Batch Bourbon offers indications of being quite young, and the complete lack of oakiness that comes from long-term barrel-aging leads me to agree. Much like George Washington, though, I cannot tell a lie. This bourbon is fine. It is not great, but also not disappointing. It is simply “okay” I do think this bourbon is overpriced at $45 and would offer much more value in the sub-$30 range. I can think of several bourbons that are much better at half the price.